Contactless ink leveling method and apparatus

Abstract

A method of leveling ink that is printed on a substrate includes establishing a thermal gradient across a thickness of the substrate, the thermal gradient characterized in that it is less than a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink across most of the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device to reduce a surface roughness of an ink layer disposed on a substrate, the device comprising:
 a heating chamber configured to heat the ink layer with steam for a first time period above a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink layer, wherein the viscosity threshold temperature is that temperature above which the ink layer can flow laterally; and 
 a cooling chamber configured to cool an underside of the substrate below the viscosity threshold temperature of the ink layer, wherein the heating chamber is configured to heat the ink layer concurrently as the cooling chamber cools an underside of the substrate. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , the heating chamber configured to heat the ink layer with hot air for a second time period following the first time period. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , the cooling chamber configured to cool the underside of the substrate with cool air during the first time period and the second time period.